Law enforcement officers and other professionals wear concealable underarm holsters to carry weapons such as handguns. Typically, shoulder holsters employ a single shoulder strap supporting a sheath under one arm. Since the majority of handgun users are righthanded, the majority of these shoulder holsters are designed for the righthanded user. A lefthanded shoulder holster must be specially manufactured.
Most shoulder holsters are constructed from leather straps. The wearing of such shoulder holsters for long periods of time can cause discomfort, especially during certain movements of the arms or while running. Also, such shoulder holsters are not usually easily adjustable to the size of the wearer.
Most shoulder holsters hold the gun with the barrel of the gun vertically downward so the butt of the gun extends upwardly. This positioning of the gun makes it somewhat difficult to draw from the holster. Since the butt end of the handgun is much thicker than the barrel, the upward orientation of the butt produces a tell-tale bulge in the jacket or upper body clothing of the wearer.